The Joyce Theater News

The NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, New York City's premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, today announced the nominees for the 2015-16 season. Scroll down for the full list!

New York based contemporary dance company, ZviDance, now in its 25th year, has appointed a new executive director, Allen Maniker M.D.

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) announces the fall 2016 performance and residency series, which runs September 27 through December 16. BAC Presents will bring to BAC's stages World and U.S. Premieres of works by international music and dance artists. Tickets go on sale August 15 and can be purchased online at bacnyc.org or by phone at 866 811 4111. Throughout the season,BAC Residencies will provide critical support to nine artists across disciplines to develop new work in BAC's studios.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. will present one of the world's hottest dance companies, in its Joyce Theater debut, L.A. Dance Project, from July 26 to 30 at The Joyce Theater.

The Dance Gallery Festival will return to New York this fall for its 10th year, offering opportunity for choreographers and dancers to showcase original work on a NYC stage. Since 2007, the annual Festival has served as mentor and launchpad for new talent and up-and-coming national and international choreographers. All performances will take place Friday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 13 at the Manhattan Movement Center, 248 West 60th Street.

The Board of Directors, Chairman's Council, and Dancers of RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, raised more than $183,000 at their GALA EVENING 2016 on Wednesday, June 22, 2016.

Twyla Tharp and Three Dances, the previously announced program conceived and directed by Twyla Tharp and featuring two classics and one premiere, will be presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation for two weeks next month, July 10-23, in its intimate Chelsea home, located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

Twyla Tharp and Three Dances, the previously announced program conceived and directed by Twyla Tharp and featuring two classics and one premiere, will be presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation for two weeks next month, July 10-23, in its intimate Chelsea home, located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. Part of the Pathways to Dance Upstate/Downstate initiative, Twyla Tharp and Three Dances will feature a company of long-time Tharp dancers along with new members.  John Selya, Matthew Dibble, Daniel Baker, Ramona Kelley, Amy Ruggiero, Eva Trapp, Nicholas Coppula, Kaitlyn Gilliland and Reed Tankersley make up the company. On the program are two Tharp classics, Brahms Paganini and Country Dances, and a new work, Beethoven Opus 130, set to Beethoven's Opus of the same title having its world premiere at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 30. This presentation, one of the must-see cultural events of the summer, marks the first time Tharp's company will perform on The Joyce's stage in almost 12 years. Tickets range in price from $10-$75 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Mr. Rioult is a compelling storyteller. In 'Iphigenia' - which begins with a glimpse of the gruesome future - he confronts the tragedy head on by making it clear that the designated sacrifice is unaware of her fate. Watching Clytemnestra - Charis Haines, who handily walks away with the piece - batter a commanding Brian Flynn as Agamemnon reminds one that there is nothing so frightening as a mother whose child has been threatened.

The Board of Directors, Chairman's Council, and Dancers of RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, proudly announce their GALA EVENING 2016,Wednesday, June 22, 2016 starting with a 7pm performance at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street featuring the NYC Premiere of Pascal Rioult's Polymorphous.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Workshop will present the annual Community Dance Workshop Concert on Sunday, June 19 at 2pm at the Forum Theatre at 314 Main St, Metuchen, NJ 08840.  This recital is open to the public for a suggested donation of $15.  The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Workshop, established in 2012 in response to popular demand from the community, is part of the critically acclaimed Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, led by world-renowned choreographer Nai-Ni, whose work fuses the dynamic freedom of American modern dance with the elegant splendor of Asian art.  Ms. Chen herself develops the curriculum for the Dance Workshop, which is taught by experienced Chinese traditional dance instructors trained at the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy.  Students range from ages seven to seventeen and take weekly classes on Saturdays between 2:30pm and 7:30pm in beginning, intermediate, and advanced traditional Chinese Dance and Modern Dance techniques.  

In preparation for its upcoming Joyce season, RIOULT Dance NY held an open rehearsal at the Gibney Dance Center at 890 Broadway featuring a run through of the company's upcoming world premiere, 'Cassandra's Curse'. Of course this refers to that doomed prophetess from the Trojan War who - though blessed with foresight - was cursed to never have her predictions believed. In an expansive opening, Artistic Director Pascal Rioult revealed that the piece was inspired by his passion for Euripides' 'The Trojan Women', a play that serves as a wellspring of material for his current artistic period.

The Martha Graham Dance Company is pleased to announce its 2016–17 season. The Company's tour kicks off in August and includes performances in 12 cities across the U.S., a performance residency in Madrid, and a weeklong engagement in Cuba, where the Company will perform as part of the renowned Havana International Ballet Festival. The Company's New York season will take place at the Joyce Theater in February 2017. The season also includes six events as part of the Company's popular Graham Studio Series, which offers audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the Company at work in the intimate setting of the Martha Graham Studio Theater.

Ehrenkranz Artistic Director Jane Moss today announced the schedule for Lincoln Center's seventh White Light Festival, running from October 16 through November 16, 2016. The international multidisciplinary festival, which takes its name from a quotation by the Estonian composer Arvo Part, is an annual exploration of the power of art to illuminate our interior and communal lives. 'I could compare my music to white light which contains all colors. Only a prism can divide the colors and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.' - Arvo Part

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, returns to The Joyce Theater from June 21-26, 2016 with eight performances featuring World and New York City Premieres. Tickets start at $10 and are on sale now at www.joyce.org.  

Four acclaimed female choreographers, Elisa Monte, Molissa Fenley, Margo Sappington, and Jennifer Muller join forces this spring in Monte/Molissa/Margo/Muller - LIVE! at New York Live Arts, today through June 18.

Jessica Lang Dance, under the artistic direction of choreographer Jessica Lang, will celebrate its 5th Anniversary season with a week-long engagement at The Joyce Theater on June 14 – 19, 2016, featuring five pieces, including three New York premieres. There will be a post-performance Curtain Chat discussion with Lang and dancers from the company following the performance on June 15.

From June 9 - 19, 2016, Houston Ballet will conclude its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of artistic director Stanton Welch's Giselle. The world premiere of Giselle is made possible through the generosity of longtime Houston Ballet supporter and trustee Lynn Wyatt. This production will showcase the company's strength and depth of talent, while staying true to the original story of love, betrayal, and redemption, set in the Romantic era. The ballet is set to the famous score by Adolphe Adam and designed by renowned Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, who will create the scenery and costumes for the production.

New York Live Arts, home of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and under the artistic leadership of MacArthur Genius Award and National Medal of the Arts recipient Bill T. Jones, announced its upcoming 2016-2017 season today.

 Ronald K. Brown and Evidence, A Dance Company return to the Joyce Theater for its annual season, June 28-July 3, 2016.